Category Archives: History

Warren Buffett’s Wealth Recipe is Flawed

Posted on June 15, 2023 by odeboyz

“My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest.” Multi-billionaire Warren Buffett Geography Buffett claims being American was a necessary condition to his success. He’s wrong. In America racial identity helps define … Continue reading →

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Incest and the end of Imperial Spain

Posted on June 8, 2023 by odeboyz

The rulers of Spain had long pursued a policy of intermarriage in the hope of uniting the entire peninsular under a single sceptre. Although in 1580 these incestuous unions achieved their goal when Philip became king of Portugal. They dramatically … Continue reading →

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Boris Johnson in Downing Street

Posted on June 1, 2023 by odeboyz
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Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald

Posted on May 18, 2023 by odeboyz

In 1955, Marilyn Monroe learned the Mocambo, a popular Hollywood nightclub, would not book Ella Fitzgerald because she was black. Monroe phoned the manager and told him she would reserve a front row table every night Ella performed there, knowing … Continue reading →

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An early Bob Dylan review

Posted on May 15, 2023 by odeboyz

Apr. 13, 1963 – Bob Dylan, a folk musician, gave a well-received program of his own compositions at New York’s Town Hall last night. Mr. Dylan is 21 years old, hails from Hibbing, Minn., and looks like a cross between … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Percival Everett ~ The Trees (2022)

Posted on May 4, 2023 by odeboyz

Background The 1955 depraved murder of Emmett Till, aged 14, by racists in Mississippi was shocking but not freakishly so.1 What was unique was his mother allowing mourners to see his mutilated body in an open casket. The outrage became … Continue reading →

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The Foundation of Rome: The True Story

Posted on March 11, 2023 by odeboyz
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Book Review: P G Wodehouse ~ The Inimitable Jeeves (1923)

Posted on March 9, 2023 by odeboyz

It’s the centenary of the first Jeeves novel. Wodehouse created two of the most enduring comedic characters in literature, Jeeves and Bertie Wooster. The novel is a series of linked short stories. They are coherent only in the sense that … Continue reading →

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Billie Holiday: a genius that got lucky

Posted on February 13, 2023 by odeboyz

“One day, we were so hungry we could barely breathe,” she told Downbeat magazine in 1939. “I started out the door. It was cold as all hell and I walked from 145th to 133rd down Seventh Avenue, going in every … Continue reading →

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The birth of modern British politics, 1832-3

Posted on February 2, 2023 by odeboyz

The birth of modern British politics began in 1832 when the Whig government intervened in property rights. Firstly, ownership of rotten boroughs, which elected MPs, and secondly, slavery. Ownership of constituencies and slaves were felt to be against the public … Continue reading →

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